Nation's First Commercial Urban Hydroponic Greenhouse Opens

Jun 29, 2011

Situated on the rooftop of an industrial building in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Gotham Greens' state-of-the-art greenhouse facility has harvested and delivered the first of its 100 annual tons of premium quality, pesticide-free vegetables and herbs. Gotham Greens produce is currently available at retailers across NYC including Whole Foods Market, Fresh Direct, D'Agostino's, Mario Batali's Eataly, amongst others.

Gotham Greens' expertise in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) combined with its technologically sophisticated, renewable energy-powered greenhouse facility allows the company to produce crops year round with unmatched care and commitment to quality. When compared to conventional agriculture, Gotham Greens' re-circulating hydroponic methods use 10 times less land and 20 times less water. Pesticide use and fertilizer runoff - one of the leading causes of global water pollution - are eliminated. The company's sterile greenhouses and comprehensive food safety program minimizes the risk of food borne pathogens including E coli and Salmonella.

"We are dedicated to providing our customers with the freshest and best tasting products available on NYC market, year-round. Gotham Greens also addresses many of the growing ecological and public health concerns surrounding conventional agriculture, including high resource consumption, long distance food transportation, and food safety, while providing New Yorkers with premium quality local produce, year round," explained Gotham Greens founder Viraj Puri. "There are many ways to farm responsibly and sustainably; our methods are based on our unique geographical context."

In a letter to the company, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg wrote, "Gotham Greens embraces New York's entrepreneurial tradition at its best-and demonstrates that going green is a smart business strategy." This sustainable initiative has also created meaningful economic development. Construction of the facility produced over 50 construction jobs, and the greenhouse operations created an additional 25 full-time jobs.